Barbados. Government. People. Land and Economy

Barbados, is an island country in the West Indies. The easternmost West Indian island, Barbados lies about 250 miles (402 kilometers) northeast of Venezuela. It is one of the most densely populated countries in the world.

The growing of sugar cane has been an important industry in Barbados for more than 300 years. Manufacturing and processing have steadily increased in importance. Barbados's pleasant climate and sandy beaches have made it a popular vacation resort. Tourism is also a major industry. Most of the country's people are blacks.

Barbados was a British colony from the 1620's until it became independent in 1966. Bridgetown is the capital and largest city. The city is the business and tourist center of Barbados. It is also the country's chief port.

Government. Barbados is a constitutional monarchy. A governor general represents the British Crown as head of state. But the prime minister and the Cabinet actually govern the country. The leader of the political party that has the most House of Assembly members serves as prime minister. Parliament consists of the Senate and House of Assembly. The governor general appoints the 21 senators, 1 2 of them on the advice of the prime minister. The people elect the 28 House of Assembly members. Members of Parliament serve for a maximum of five years. All citizens 18 years of age or older can vote.

People. The way of life in Barbados is much like that in England. Traffic moves on the left, cricket is the most popular sport, and Bridgetown's harbor police wear uniforms that date from the late 1700's, the era of British naval hero Lord Nelson. All of the people speak English.

The people of Barbados are quiet, thrifty, and industrious. About 80 percent of the people are descendants of slaves brought to Barbados from Africa between 1636 and 1 833, when slavery was abolished. More than 15 percent are of mixed African and British ancestry. About 4 percent are of European—chiefly British—descent.

Many of the people farm or work on sugar plantations. Many others have jobs in the tourist trade, the government, and other activities that provide services. Still others work in factories and processing plants, or on construction jobs. The Church of England is the largest church in Barbados. Other churches include the Roman Catholic, Methodist, and Moravian.

Popular foods include flying fish, okra, pork, and yams. The people wear light, European-style clothing. Barbados has a high literacy rate. Almost all Barbadian adults can read and write. Children between the ages of 5 and 16 must attend school. Primary school and secondary school are free. Bridgetown has a branch of the University of the West Indies.

Land. Most of Barbados is flat, but a high, rugged region lies in the middle of the northeast coast. The land descends from the northeast coastal region across an upland plateau to a lowland plateau. The lowland plateau stretches to the coast all around the rest of the island. Fine sandy beaches stretch along the west and southwest coasts. Mount Hillaby (1,115 feet, or 340 meters) is the island's highest point. Almost all of the island is covered with coral rock, but 85 percent of the land can be farmed. Barbados has little natural plant life, but some evergreen trees grow in the northeast.

Temperatures range between 70 and 87 °F (21 and 31 °C). Rainfall varies from 80 inches (200 centimeters) a year in the north to between 40 and 60 inches (100 and 150 centimeters) in the south. Hurricanes occasionally cause extensive damage on the island.

Economy. Manufacturing and processing, tourism, and agriculture are all important to Barbados's economy. Factories make chemicals, clothing, and electronic products. Processing plants produce refined sugar from sugar cane and also make molasses and rum from it. Plants also produce edible oils, lard, and margarine.

Each year, thousands of tourists visit Barbados. They are attracted by its pleasant climate, good beaches, and English atmosphere.

Sugar cane is the country's chief agricultural product by far. Sugar was introduced about 1 640. More than half of the land that can be farmed in Barbados is used to grow sugar. Most sugar is raised on large plantations. In May, at the peak of the sugar-harvesting season, most of Barbados's farmers work on the sugar plantations.

Farmers on small farms grow such food crops as carrots, corn, sweet potatoes, and yams. In addition, they raise pigs for meat, and cows for milk. Barbadians catch flying fish and other fish for sale locally.

Barbados trades mainly with Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, it exports chemicals, clothing, electrical parts, molasses, rum, and sugar, it imports food, fuels, and manufactured goods.

Barbados has about 870 miles (1,400 kilometers) of paved roads, but there are no railroads. Bridgetown is the chief port of Barbados. The country's main airport is 12 miles (19 kilometers) from Bridgetown.

Bridgetown, the capital of Barbados, is one of the West Indies' major trade and shipping centers. Interisland schooners can dock in the city's inner harbor, near the business district

History. Scholars believe that Arawak Indians from South America were the first settlers in Barbados. They believe Carib Indians drove them out in the 1500's.

The English reached Barbados in 1625, and the first permanent English settlement was begun in 1627. From 1629 to 1652, several English families fought over Barbados. The British Parliament sent an expedition to gain control of the island in 1652. The colony had a governor and some representative government from the beginning. In 1639, the landowners of Barbados elected a House of Assembly. The colony prospered, and many English families settled there in the 1700's and 1800's.

In the late 1870's, Barbados opposed the British government's plans to form a federation of British islands in the West indies. But Barbados joined the West Indies Federation when it was formed in 1958. Grantley Adams, a Barbadian, was the federation's prime minister. The federation broke up in 1962, when Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago became independent. Barbados and several other West Indian islands tried to form another federation, but they could not agree on a constitution. Barbados gained independence from the United Kingdom on Nov. 30, 1966. In 1967, Barbados joined the Organization of American States (OAS). In 1968, it became a charter member of an economic union called the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA).

From Barbados's independence in 1966 until 1976, the Democratic Labour Party (DIP) held a majority of the seats in the House of Assembly. DLP leader Errol W. Barrow served as prime minister. In 1976, the Labour Party won a majority of the seats. Labour Party leader J. M. G. Adams, son of Grantley Adams, became prime minister.

In 1983, Barbados and several other Caribbean nations joined the United States in an invasion of Grenada to overthrow a Marxist government there. See Grenada (History and government) for details.

Adams died in 1985 and was succeeded by Bernard St. John, the deputy prime minister. Parliamentary elections in 1986 returned the DLP to power. Barrow again became prime minister. He died in 1987 and was succeeded by the deputy prime minister, Erskine Sandiford. In elections held in 1 994 and 1 999, the Labour Party won a majority in the House of Assembly. Labour leader Owen Arthur served as prime minister.